El Mofongo: Hempstead’s hidden gem

A Dominican-style pork with rice and beans.

Photo Courtesy of Robert Kinnaird

There are countless hidden gems scattered around Hempstead if you’re willing to venture off campus and try something new. As a predominantly immigrant town, there is no shortage of excellent Jamaican, Mexican or Dominican food in Hempstead, and El Mofongo is no exception. El Mofongo looks like any of the other local places that serve Latin American food in this area when you’re speeding by it, but if you ever take the time to stick your head in the door and smell what they’re cooking, you’ll realize quickly that it’s something truly special.

Located just a short walk down Hempstead Turnpike, El Mofongo serves fantastic Dominican food and delicious baked goods at reasonable prices and in generous portions.

Opened by husband and wife duo Hector Henriquez and Marta Caro, the restaurant has been serving the local community, Hofstra students and anyone else who finds out just how good this place is for four years now.

“We get customers from the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens,” Henriquez said. When asked what he recommends, he said, “The roast pork is excellent, the chicken is excellent.” Henriquez also recommended the mofongo, a traditional Dominican dish made with plantains and garlic, from which the restaurant gets its name. I ended up ordering the pork.

The pork was slow-cooked with a wonderful mix of vegetables and served with rice, beans and plantains. The dish was a fantastic representation of the kind of food you can expect when you go to El Mofongo. Each individual aspect of the dish shone in its own way. The rice and beans were far more flavorful than what you’d normally get as a side and only got better as the juice from the slow-cooked pork slowly soaked into the rice. The meat was so tender and tasty that I couldn’t stop eating it, even after I was full. I considered ordering more to go. 

This was not my first time trying El Mofongo, having gone two times before with friends who found the place. At this point I’ve tried their ox tail, roast pork and chicken, as well as the fantastic cakes and tres leches that Caro makes for the restaurant. I think it’s safe to say you can’t go wrong, no matter what you order. El Mofongo is one of the best restaurants in Hempstead and you are doing yourself a disservice if you never give it a shot, especially with how close it is to campus. I look forward to returning sometime soon to finally try their namesake.